Fouls and Unsportsmanlike Conduct

Permitted actions8:1 It is permitted: a) to use an open hand to play the ball out of the hand of another player; b) to use bent arms to make body contact with an opponent, and to monitor and follow him in this way; c) to use one‟s trunk to block the opponent, in a struggle for positions;

Comment:Blocking means, preventing an opponent from moving into open space. Setting the block, maintaining the block and moving out of the block must, in principle, be done in a passive manner in relation to the opponent (see, however, 8:2b).

Fouls that normally do not lead to personal punishment (consider, however, the decision-making criteria in 8:3 a-d)8:2 It is not permitted: a) to pull or hit the ball out of the hands of the opponent; b) to block the opponent with arms, hand, legs, or to use any part of the body to displace him or push him away; this includes a dangerous use of the elbow, both as a starting position and in motion; c) to hold an opponent (body or uniform), even if he remains free to continue the play; d) run into or jump into an opponent;;

Fouls that warrant a personal punishment under Rules 8:3-68:3 Fouls, where the action is mainly or exclusively aimed at the body of the opponent, must lead to a personal punishment. This means that, in addition to a free-throw or 7-meter-throw, at least the foul is to be punished progressively, beginning with a warning (16:1), then with 2-minute suspensions (16:3b) and disqualification (16:6d).For more severe fouls, there are 3 further levels of punishment on the basis of the following decision-making criteria:  Fouls that are to be punished with an immediate 2-minute suspension (8:4);  Fouls that are to be punished with a disqualification (8:5);  Fouls that are to be punished with a disqualification and where a written report is required (8:6);Decision-making criteria:For the judgment as to which personal punishments are appropriate for specific fouls, the following decision-making criteria apply; these criteria are to be used in combination as appropriate in each situation: a) the position of the player who commits the foul (frontal position, from the side, or from behind); b) the part of the body against which the illegal action is aimed (torso, shooting arm, legs, head/throat/neck); c) the dynamics of the illegal action (the intensity of the illegal body contact, and/or a foul where the opponent is in full motion); d) the effect of the illegal action:  the impact on the body and ball control  the reduction or prevention of the ability to move  the prevention of the continuation of the gameFor the judgment of fouls the particular game situation is relevant, too (e.g., shooting action, running into open space, situations with high running speed).

Fouls that warrant an immediate 2-minute suspension8:4 For certain fouls, the punishment is a direct 2-minute suspension, regardless of whether the player had received a warning earlier.This applies especially for such fouls where the guilty player disregards the danger to the opponent (see also 8:5 and 8:6);Taking into account the decision-making criteria under 8:3, such fouls could for instance be: a) fouls that are committed with high intensity or against an opponent who is running fast; b) holding on to the opponent for a long time, or pulling him down; c) fouls against the head, throat or neck; d) hard hitting against the torso or throwing arm; e) attempting to make the opponent lose body control (e.g., grabbing the leg/foot of an opponent who is jumping; see, however, 8:5a); f) running or jumping with great speed into an opponent.

Fouls that warrant a disqualification8:5 A player who is attacking an opponent in a way that is dangerous to his health is to be disqualified (16:6a). The special danger to the opponent‟s health follows from the high intensity of the foul or from the fact that the opponent is completely unprepared for the foul and therefore cannot protect himself (see Rule 8:5 Comment).In addition to the criteria of 8:3 and 8:4, the following decision-making criteria also apply: a) the actual loss of body control while running or jumping, or during a throwing action; b) a particularly aggressive action against a part of the body of the opponent, especially face, throat or neck; (the intensity of the body contact); c) the reckless attitude demonstrated by the guilty player when committing the foul.

Comment:Also a foul with a very small physical impact can be very dangerous and lead to a severe injury, if the foul is committed in a moment when the player is jumping in the air or running, and therefore is unable to protect himself. In this type of situation, it is the danger to the opponent and not the intensity of the body contact that is the basis for the judgment whether a disqualification is warranted.

This also applies in those situations where a goalkeeper leaves the goal area, for the purpose of catching a pass intended for an opponent. Here the goalkeeper has the responsibility for ensuring that a situation does not arise that is dangerous to the health of the opponent.

He is to be disqualified if he: a) gains possession of the ball, but in his movement causes a collision with the opponent; b) cannot reach or control the ball, but causes a collision with the opponent;

If the referees are convinced in one of these situations, that, without the illegal action from the goalkeeper, the opponent would have been able to reach the ball, then a 7-meter throw is to be awarded.

Disqualification due to a particularly reckless, particularly dangerous, premeditated or malicious action (also to be reported in writing)8:6 If the referees find an action to be particularly reckless, particularly dangerous, premeditated or malicious, they must submit a written report after the game, so that the responsible authorities are in a position to take a decision about further measures.Indications and characteristics that could serve as decision-making criteria in addition to those in Rule 8:5 are: a) a particularly reckless or particularly dangerous action; b) a premeditated or malicious action, which is not in any way related to the game situation;

Comment:When a foul under Rule 8:5 or 8:6 is committed during the last minute of a game, with the purpose of preventing a goal, then the action is to be seen as ‘extremely unsportsmanlike conduct’ under Rule 8:10d and punished accordingly.

Unsportsmanlike conduct that warrants a personal punishment under Rules 8:7-10As unsportsmanlike conduct is considered any verbal and non-verbal expressions that are not in conformity with the spirit of good sportsmanship. This applies to both players and team officials, on the court and outside the court. For the punishment of unsportsmanlike, seriously unsportsmanlike, and extremely unsportsmanlike conduct, a difference is made between 4 levels of actions:  Actions that are to punished progressively (8:7);  Actions that are to be punished with a direct 2-minute suspension (8:8);  Actions that are to be punished with a disqualification (8:9);  Actions that are to be punished with a disqualification and a written report (8:10);

Unsportsmanlike conduct that warrants progressive punishment8:7 The actions listed below under a-f are examples of unsportsmanlike conduct that is to be punished progressively, beginning with a warning (16:1b): a) protests against referee decisions, or verbal and non-verbal actions intended to cause a specific referee decision; b) harassing an opponent or teammate through words or gestures, or shouting at an opponent in order to cause distraction; c) delaying the execution of a formal throw for the opponents, by not respecting the 3-meter distance or in some other way; d) through „theater‟, trying to mislead the referees regarding the actions of an opponent or exaggerating the impact of an action, in order to provoke a time-out or an undeserved punishment for an opponent; e) actively blocking a shot or pass by using a foot or lower leg; pure reflex motions, e.g., moving the legs together, are not to be punished (see also Rule 7:8); f) repeated entering of the goal area for tactical reasons;

Unsportsmanlike conduct warranting an immediate 2-minute suspension8:8 Certain unsportsmanlike actions are by their nature seen as more severe and warrant an immediate 2-minute suspension, regardless of whether the player or the officials had received a warning earlier. This includes: a) protests involving loudness with forceful gestures, or provocative behavior; b) when there is a decision against a team in possession, and the player with the ball does not immediately make it available to the opponents by dropping it or putting it down on the floor; c) blocking the access to a ball that went into the substitution area;

Seriously unsportsmanlike conduct warranting a disqualification8:9 Certain forms of unsportsmanlike conduct are considered so serious that they warrant a disqualification. The following are examples of such conduct: a) throwing or hitting the ball away in a demonstrative manner, after a decision by the referees; b) if a goalkeeper demonstratively refrains from trying to stop a 7-meter-throw; c) deliberately throwing the ball at an opponent during a stoppage in the game; if it is done with a lot of force and from very short distance, it is more appropriately regarded as a „particularly reckless action‟ under 8:6 above; d) when a 7-m shooter hits the goalkeeper‟s head, if the goalkeeper is not moving his head in the direction of the ball; e) when a free-throw shooter hits a defender‟s head, if the defender is not moving his head in the direction of the ball; f) an act of revenge after having been fouled.

Comment:In the case of a 7-meter throw or a free-throw, the shooter has the responsibility not to endanger the goalkeeper or the defender.

Disqualification due to extremely unsportsmanlike conduct (also to be reported in writing)8:10 If the referees classify a conduct as extremely unsportsmanlike, they must submit a written report after the game, so that the responsible authorities are in a position to take a decision about further measures.The following actions may serve as examples: a) insulting or threatening behavior directed at another person, e.g., referee, timekeeper/scorekeeper, delegate, team official, player, spectator; the behavior may be in verbal or non-verbal form (e.g., facial expression, gestures, body language or body contact); b) (I) the interference by a team official in the game, on the playing court or from the substitution area, or (II) a player destroying a clear chance of scoring, either through an illegal entry on the court (Rule 4:6) or from the substitution area; c) if during the last minute of a game the ball is out of play, and a player or team official prevents or delays the execution of a throw for the opponents, in order to prevent them from being able to take a shot on goal or to obtain a clear scoring chance; this is considered extremely unsportsmanlike, and it applies to any type of interference (e.g., with only limited physical action, intercepting a pass, interference with the reception of the ball, not releasing the ball); d) if during the last minute of a game the ball is in play, and the opponents, through an action falling under rule 8:5 or 8:6, prevent the team in possession from being able to take a shot on goal or to obtain a clear scoring chance; this is not just to be punished with a disqualification under 8:5 or 8:6; a written report must also be submitted;